News-Record.com

It's going to take some time to tell whether Saddam Hussein's execution marks a turning point in Iraq or counts as just another death in a country awash in blood.

Insurgents driven by hopes of restoring Saddam to power ought to lay down their arms, but will they see other reasons to keep fighting as Sunnis and Shiites continue to contend for power and seek to avenge grievances old and new?

It's difficult to be optimistic. Every hope of progress in Iraq has been blown apart by the ferocity of seething hatred. The U.S. badly underestimated the utter depravity of Iraqis who have immersed themselves in a culture of retribution and radicalism.

Can a democratic government eventually put an end to the cycle of violence, or will it take another strongman like Saddam to suppress the killers?

While Saddam richly deserved his fate, his death may prove pointless unless the leaders of all Iraqi factions decide to learn from it. They must agree to work together to build a nation that protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all religious, ethnic, tribal and political groups. If they don't, they will resign themselves to unending chaos and violence or invite the rise of the next ruthless dictator.

The sectarian violence is driven in part by the desire of Shiites to get even for the repression they suffered under Saddam and the Sunnis. Now that Saddam has paid for his crimes, it's time for the Shiites to let go of the past and create a society that allows room for old adversaries to live in peace. That's a lot to hope for, but if it doesn't happen then hanging Saddam will have contributed nothing good at all to the future of Iraq.